Xiao Chi Zhang

The effects of daily stress on positive and negative mental health: Mediation through self-efficacy

Daily stressors, compared to traumatic events, are increasingly recognized as important risk factors for mental health. The role of general self-efficacy on the relationship between daily stress and aspects of mental health has not yet been examined. Taking into account the dual factor model of mental health, which postulates that mental health is more than the absence of psychopathological symptoms, we tested mediation effects of self-efficacy separately for positive and negative mental health. Total, direct and indirect effects were estimated using data from a large nationally representative German population sample (N = 1,031) by bootstrapped mediation analyses providing 95% bias corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Results indicated self-efficacy as a mediator of the effects of daily stressors on mental health, with superior effect sizes for positive compared to negative mental health. Mediation effects were replicated in student samples from Germany (N = 394), Russia (N = 604) and China (N = 8,669). Findings suggest that self-efficacy operates as a buffer of daily stress. However, a full mediation model was not supported as multiple psychological resources can have protective effects. This study provides the first transnational evidence for different stress-buffer effects for the two dimensions of mental health.

Personal value orientations as mediated predictors of mental health: A three-culture study of Chinese, Russian, and German university students

Previous studies of traditional and modern value orientations in individuals found mediated predictive relationships of these values on particular mental disorders. The aim of this study with samples from three countries (Germany, Russia, and China) is to extend findings on mental health (MH) and value orientations to broader MH indicators and two types of mediators, i.e. social support and resilience in accordance to a theory of values and modernization/postmodernization. The multisite study was conducted in the three countries. A path-model with traditional values predicting MH mediated by social support, and modern values predicting MH mediated by resilience was tested in all three countries. As expected, value orientations were for the most part strongest in China, followed by Russia and Germany. Structural equation modeling supported the assumption of mediated prediction of MH by value orientations by and large. The traditional value benevolence predicts social support whereas the modern value self-direction predicts resilience. Value orientations are a sensitive tool to empirically describe cross-cultural differences. The findings indicate that personal value orientations are meaningful predictors of MH. The analysis of personal values shows promise in linking public health, cross-cultural and modernization issues.

Universal Happiness? Cross-Cultural Measurement Invariance of Scales Assessing Positive Mental Health.

Research into positive aspects of the psyche is growing as psychologists learn more about the protective role of positive processes in the development and course of mental disorders, and about their substantial role in promoting mental health. With increasing globalization, there is strong interest in studies examining positive constructs across cultures. To obtain valid cross-cultural comparisons, measurement invariance for the scales assessing positive constructs has to be established. The current study aims to assess the cross-cultural measurement invariance of questionnaires for 6 positive constructs: Social Support (Fydrich, Sommer, Tydecks, & Brähler, 2009), Happiness (Subjective Happiness Scale; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999), Life Satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), Positive Mental Health Scale (Lukat, Margraf, Lutz, van der Veld, & Becker, 2016), Optimism (revised Life Orientation Test [LOT-R]; Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994) and Resilience (Schumacher, Leppert, Gunzelmann, Strauss, & Brähler, 2004). Participants included German (n = 4,453), Russian (n = 3,806), and Chinese (n = 12,524) university students. Confirmatory factor analyses and measurement invariance testing demonstrated at least partial strong measurement invariance for all scales except the LOT-R and Subjective Happiness Scale. The latent mean comparisons of the constructs indicated differences between national groups. Potential methodological and cultural explanations for the intergroup differences are discussed.

Don't panic : interpretation bias is predictive of new onsets of panic disorder

Psychological models of panic disorder postulate that interpretation of ambiguous material as threatening is an important maintaining factor for the disorder. However, demonstrations of whether such a bias predicts onset of panic disorder are missing. In the present study, we used data from the Dresden Prediction Study, in which a epidemiologic sample of young German women was tested at two time points approximately 17 months apart, allowing the study of biased interpretation as a potential risk factor. At time point one, participants completed an Interpretation Questionnaire including two types of ambiguous scenarios: panic-related and general threat-related. Analyses revealed that a panic-related interpretation bias predicted onset of panic disorder, even after controlling for two established risk factors: anxiety sensitivity and fear of bodily sensations. This is the first prospective study demonstrating the incremental validity of interpretation bias as a predictor of panic disorder onset.

Testing measurement invariance of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) across four countries.

The rising burden of mental and behavioral disorders has become a global challenge (Murray et al., 2012). Measurement invariant clinical instruments are necessary for the assessment of relevant symptoms across countries. The present study tested the measurement invariance of the 21-item version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995b) in Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom (U.K.), and the United States of America (U.S.). Telephone interviews were conducted with population-based samples (nPL = 1003, nRU = 3020, nU.K. = 1002, nU.S. = 1002). The DASS-21 shows threshold measurement invariance. Comparisons of latent means did not indicate differences between U.K. and U.S. samples. However, Polish and Russian samples reported more depressive symptoms compared with U.K. and U.S. samples; the Russian sample had the highest levels of anxiety symptoms and the Polish sample demonstrated the highest stress levels. The DASS-21 can be recommended to meaningfully compare the relationships between variables across groups and to compare latent means in Polish-, Russian-, and English-speaking populations.

A Cross-Cultural Study in Germany, Russia, and China: Are Resilient and Social Supported Students Protected Against Depression, Anxiety, and Stress?:

This study cross-culturally investigated resilience and social support as possible protective factors for mental health. The values of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, resilience and social support were collected from German (N = 4433), Russian (N = 3774), and Chinese students (N = 4982). The samples were split (two-thirds vs. one-third) to cross-validate the results. In all samples, resilience and social support were significantly negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. While in Germany those associations were stronger for social support, in Russia and in China stronger associations were found for resilience. Furthermore, in all samples, resilience was found to mediate the association between social support and the negative mental health variables significantly. In conclusion, resilience and social support are universal interrelated protective factors for mental health independently of historical, cultural, social, and geographical conditions of a country.

Resilience to suicide ideation: a cross-cultural test of the buffering hypothesis

Depression and suicide ideation are common in student populations across the world. The present study investigated factors buffering the association between depression and suicide ideation. A total of 2,687 Chinese students and 601 German students took part in the investigation. Social support, satisfaction with life, self-efficacy, psychosocial stress resistance, and positive mental health were considered as resilience factors moderating the association between depressive symptoms and suicide ideation within both samples. Positive mental health moderated the impact of depressive symptoms on suicide ideation in German and Chinese students. Life satisfaction moderated the impact of depressive symptoms on suicide ideation in German students. Social support moderated the impact of depressive symptoms on suicide ideation in Chinese students. No interaction effects were found for self-efficacy and psychosocial stress resistance. Positive mental health, satisfaction with life, and perceived social support seem to confer resilience and should be taken into account, when assessing individuals for suicide risk.

Catastrophizing misinterpretations predict somatoform-related symptoms and new onsets of somatoform disorders

BACKGROUND Somatoform disorders are characterized by multiple recurring symptoms that resemble physical illnesses but defy medical explanation. Psychological models suggest that catastrophizing misinterpretations of harmless physical symptoms play a key role. However, the question of whether such biases predict somatoform-related symptoms and the onset of somatoform disorders has not been adressed. Hence, the aim of the present study was to further advance our understanding of the role of catastrophizing misinterpretations in somatoform disorders. METHODS In the present study, we used data from the Dresden Predictor Study (N=1538), in which an epidemiologic sample of young German women was tested at two time points approximately 17 months apart. Each participant completed a diagnostic interview, an interpretation questionnaire for somatoform and hypochondriacal symptoms, and three measures of such symptomatology: somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Whiteley Index (WI), Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ). RESULTS At follow-up, 33 women were diagnosed with new onsets of lifetime somatoform disorder. Results showed that catastrophizing misinterpretations assessed at baseline were predictive of somatoform-related symptoms at follow-up, i.e., symptoms assessed with the WI and BSQ. Moreover, catastrophizing misinterpretations were predictive of new onsets of somatoform disorders, even after controlling for general threat-related misinterpretations and indices of somatoform symptoms (i.e., SCL-90-R and BSQ). CONCLUSIONS This is the first prospective, longitudinal study to demonstrate that catastrophizing misinterpretations have incremental validity as predictors of future somatoform-related symptomatology and somatoform disorders.

The Bidirectional Relationship between Positive Mental Health and Social Rhythm in College Students:A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

Social rhythm refers to the general regularity of engaging in basic social activities during the week, and was found to be associated with individuals’ positive mental health. The present study investigated the relationship between social rhythm and emotional well-being in a cohort of 2,031 college students over 3 years with a cross-lagged longitudinal panel design. Results revealed that regularity of social rhythm positively predicted emotional well-being in the following year, and vice versa, when the level of both factors in the previous year was controlled. Our study provides evidence of a longitudinal positive reciprocal relationship between social rhythm and positive mental health in younger adult populations.

Self-Efficacy as a Mechanism Linking Daily Stress to Mental Health in Students: A Three-Wave Cross-Lagged Study

Background and Objectives While stress is generally well established to be predictive for different indicators of mental health, little is known about the longitudinal effects of daily life stressors and the role of self-evaluation factors. We tested whether perceived general self-efficacy is a mediator for the association between daily life stressors and psychopathological symptoms as well as subjective well-being. Methods Data derived from 2160 Chinese university students was assessed at three time points with one-year intervals. We used the Brief Daily Stressor Screening, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Positive Mental Health Scale, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales. Total, direct, and indirect effects were estimated using 95% bootstrapped confidence intervals and structural equation modeling. Results Latent variable mediation analyses showed that daily stressors were associated with increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress and with decreased subjective well-being. All cross-lagged mediational paths via self-efficacy were significant in predicting positive and negative mental health. Conclusions Considering stress of daily life as well as including the two dimensions of mental health may be important for future research and practice. This study provides novel evidence for mediating stress effects by perceived self-efficacy, which should be focused in intervention- and prevention-based approaches.